The Italian gerundio is mercifully regular: there are essentially no irregular endings, only a small set of verbs that build the gerundio from a hidden stem. Once you learn the two endings (-ando, -endo) and the six hidden-stem verbs, you can form the gerundio of any verb in the language.
The basic rule
To form the gerundio, drop the infinitive ending and add the appropriate suffix:
| Infinitive class | Drop | Add | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -are | -are | -ando | parlare → parlando |
| -ere | -ere | -endo | credere → credendo |
| -ire | -ire | -endo | dormire → dormendo |
Note that -ere and -ire share the same -endo ending. There is no separate -iendo form for -ire verbs (despite what the analogous Spanish gerundio in -iendo might lead you to expect).
Parlando con Marco ho capito il problema.
Talking with Marco I understood the problem.
Credendo di fare bene, ho peggiorato la situazione.
Thinking I was helping, I made the situation worse.
Dormendo poco non puoi rendere al massimo.
Sleeping little, you can't perform at your best.
-are verbs
For any -are verb, drop -are and add -ando. There are no orthographic adjustments here — unlike the present indicative, the gerundio of -care, -gare, -ciare, -giare verbs is completely regular because the suffix starts with a vowel that does not threaten the stem's pronunciation.
| Infinitive | Gerundio |
|---|---|
| parlare | parlando |
| mangiare | mangiando |
| cominciare | cominciando |
| cercare | cercando |
| pagare | pagando |
| studiare | studiando |
Notice that mangiando, cominciando, studiando keep the i of the stem even though the next vowel is a. This is an orthographic detail worth noting: unlike the present indicative tu/noi forms (mangi, mangiamo) where the silent i drops, the gerundio always preserves the full stem of -ciare/-giare/-iare verbs.
Stiamo mangiando, ti richiamo dopo.
We're eating, I'll call you back later.
Cominciando da zero, ho costruito un'attività.
Starting from zero, I built a business.
Pagando in contanti, ottieni uno sconto.
If you pay in cash, you get a discount.
-ere verbs
For any -ere verb, drop -ere and add -endo. Strong-perfect verbs (those with irregular passato remoto and past participle, like scrivere → scritto) still form the gerundio regularly from the infinitive stem.
| Infinitive | Gerundio |
|---|---|
| credere | credendo |
| scrivere | scrivendo |
| leggere | leggendo |
| vedere | vedendo |
| prendere | prendendo |
| mettere | mettendo |
Sta scrivendo la tesi da mesi.
She has been writing her thesis for months.
Leggendo il giornale, ho scoperto che hanno aperto un nuovo museo.
Reading the paper, I discovered they've opened a new museum.
Vedendo che era tardi, sono andato a casa.
Seeing it was late, I went home.
-ire verbs (including -isco verbs)
For any -ire verb, drop -ire and add -endo. This includes the -isco subgroup (capire, finire, preferire), which does NOT insert -isc- in the gerundio. The -isc- infix only appears in stress-bearing forms of the present indicative, present subjunctive, and imperative — the gerundio takes the simple stem.
| Infinitive | Gerundio | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dormire | dormendo | regular -ire |
| partire | partendo | regular -ire |
| capire | capendo | -isco verb, but no -isc- here |
| finire | finendo | -isco verb, but no -isc- here |
| preferire | preferendo | -isco verb, but no -isc- here |
| aprire | aprendo | regular -ire |
Capendo l'antifona, ho cambiato discorso.
Catching the hint, I changed the subject.
Finendo presto il lavoro, posso uscire prima.
If I finish work early, I can leave earlier.
Aprendo la porta ho fatto entrare un sacco di vento.
By opening the door I let in a ton of wind.
Hidden-stem verbs
Six verb families form the gerundio from a stem that does not match the visible infinitive. These are the same Latin-derived stems that appear throughout the conjugation system (most notably in the imperfetto: dicevo, facevo, bevevo, ponevo).
| Infinitive | Hidden stem | Gerundio |
|---|---|---|
| bere | bev- | bevendo |
| dire | dic- | dicendo |
| fare | fac- | facendo |
| porre (proporre, comporre, supporre, ...) | pon- | ponendo, proponendo, componendo, ... |
| trarre (attrarre, contrarre, distrarre, ...) | tra- | traendo, attraendo, contraendo, ... |
| condurre (produrre, ridurre, tradurre, ...) | conduc- | conducendo, producendo, riducendo, traducendo, ... |
These are not random irregularities. The Italian infinitives bere, dire, fare are abbreviations of older forms bevere, dicere, facere — the gerundio simply preserves the full Latin stem. Once you know the stem family, all the related forms drop into place.
Sta facendo freddo, prendi una giacca.
It's getting cold, grab a jacket.
Dicendo la verità, ti farai più amici.
By telling the truth, you'll make more friends.
Stavo bevendo un caffè quando è arrivato Luca.
I was drinking a coffee when Luca arrived.
Traducendo il testo, ho imparato molte parole nuove.
Translating the text, I learned a lot of new words.
Stress placement
The gerundio always stresses the penultimate syllable — that is, the second-to-last syllable. In the two-syllable suffix -ando or -endo, this means the stress falls on the first syllable of the suffix: parlàndo, credèndo, dormèndo.
| Form | Stress shown |
|---|---|
| parlando | parlàndo |
| credendo | credèndo |
| dormendo | dormèndo |
| facendo | facèndo |
| dicendo | dicèndo |
This is mechanical — every gerundio stresses the -an- or -en- of its suffix. There are no exceptions.
Reflexive verbs: clitics attach enclitically
When a reflexive (or pronominal) verb forms the gerundio, the reflexive pronoun attaches to the end of the gerundio, written as a single word.
| Infinitive | Gerundio with clitic |
|---|---|
| lavarsi | lavandosi |
| alzarsi | alzandosi |
| vestirsi | vestendosi |
| sedersi | sedendosi |
| annoiarsi | annoiandosi |
The pronoun must agree with the subject of the main clause:
Alzandomi presto, riesco a fare colazione con calma.
By getting up early, I manage to have a relaxed breakfast. (mi for io)
Vestendoti così elegante, attiri l'attenzione di tutti.
Dressing so elegantly, you attract everyone's attention. (ti for tu)
Sedendosi sul divano, ha acceso la TV.
Sitting down on the sofa, he turned on the TV. (si for lui)
The same enclitic rule applies to direct- and indirect-object pronouns:
Vedendolo arrivare, gli ho fatto un cenno.
Seeing him arrive, I waved at him. (lo attached to vedendo)
Dandogli il libro, ho detto: 'Buona lettura.'
Handing him the book, I said: 'Enjoy your reading.' (gli attached to dando)
With stare in the progressive
When the gerundio appears in stare + gerundio, clitic pronouns can sit in either position — before stare or attached to the gerundio:
Lo sto leggendo.
I'm reading it. (clitic before stare — most common)
Sto leggendolo.
I'm reading it. (clitic attached to gerundio — less common but correct)
The pre-stare position is far more common in everyday speech.
Common mistakes
❌ Faciendo i compiti, mi sono addormentato.
Wrong stem — fare uses fac-, not faci-.
✅ Facendo i compiti, mi sono addormentato.
Correct — facendo from the hidden fac- stem.
❌ Capisciendo l'italiano, posso guardare i film senza sottotitoli.
Wrong — the -isc- infix does NOT appear in the gerundio.
✅ Capendo l'italiano, posso guardare i film senza sottotitoli.
Correct — gerundio uses the simple stem, no -isc-.
❌ Mangiendo troppo, mi sono sentito male.
Wrong — -are verbs always take -ando, never -endo.
✅ Mangiando troppo, mi sono sentito male.
Correct — mangiare → mangiando.
❌ Lavando si i capelli, ascolta sempre la musica.
Wrong — the reflexive pronoun attaches as one word: lavandosi.
✅ Lavandosi i capelli, ascolta sempre la musica.
Correct — clitic attached enclitically.
❌ Lavandosi, ti fai male.
Wrong — the reflexive pronoun must agree with the main clause subject (tu → lavandoti).
✅ Lavandoti, ti fai male.
Correct — ti agrees with the implied tu of fai.
Key takeaways
The gerundio is the most regular non-finite form in Italian:
-are → -ando, -ere → -endo, -ire → -endo. No exceptions to these endings.
Six families have a hidden stem: bevendo, dicendo, facendo, ponendo, traendo, conducendo. Memorize them as a set.
No -isc- in -ire verbs: capendo, finendo, preferendo. The -isc- belongs only to stressed-stem forms.
Clitics attach enclitically: lavandosi, vestendoti, dandogli. With stare + gerundio, clitics usually sit before stare (lo sto leggendo).
Once you can form the gerundio reliably, move on to the progressive with stare and the adverbial manner uses to see what it actually does.
Now practice Italian
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Open the Italian course →Related Topics
- Il Gerundio: OverviewA2 — Italian's non-finite -ando / -endo form — what it is, what it does, and how it differs from the English '-ing' that learners always want to map onto it.
- Gerundio with Stare: The ProgressiveA1 — Italian's stare + gerundio construction — when to use it, when NOT to use it (most of the time, actually), and why English speakers reach for it far too often.
- Gerundio for Manner and Concurrent ActionB1 — How Italian uses the gerundio to express HOW or WHILE an action is performed — è entrato sorridendo, cammina fischiettando — and why the same-subject rule trips up English speakers.